But bosses at the school, which has changed its uniform for Year Seven only, said there had never been an agreement in place with Mr Vij to sell the uniform and so they had no reason to inform him of the changes.

Mr Vij has run his shop in Abbey Street, Accrington, since 1991 and said he had sold uniforms for Moorhead Sports College — and from 2008 Accrington Academy — for all of that time.

He said: “We kept asking if there was going to be any changes and they didn’t tell us of any.

“We order all our stock in advance from the Middle East, which is how we can afford to sell it at a good price.

“We tried to get an appointment with the school but they did not respond.

“This is a very big problem for me.

“They have the new intake starting soon and I have parents coming in for the uniform and I am turning people away.

“We are really disappointed.”

The school has updated its uniform for Year Seven pupils only, with the plan to phase it in from September.

A spokesman for Accrington Academy said: “Our primary concern is ensuring that parents are able to purchase a high quality, affordable uniform for their children.

“We are proud that, compared to other local schools, our uniforms are well priced and of high quality.

“We have never had any agreement with Abbey Street to supply our uniform but have not stopped them from doing so.

“We are introducing a new uniform for Year Sevens from this September in response to parent feedback.

“This will be available to parents, as ever, from our usual supplier who has now opened a shop in Accrington.”

Comments (42)

“We are proud that, compared to other local schools, our uniforms are well priced and of high quality."

Easy to make claims without evidence, isn't it? Which other local schools offer low quality uniforms at high prices?

“We are proud that, compared to other local schools, our uniforms are well priced and of high quality."
Easy to make claims without evidence, isn't it? Which other local schools offer low quality uniforms at high prices?Was Hingma Chine

Schools have been very tardy in the past for not informing people/organisations
. Two incidents come to mind when one school was booked to visit the Heritage Centre in Accrington with their pupils. No one bothered to ring the Heritgage Centre to let them know they weren't coming. The Centre had had to ring round to get extra volunteers in to help supervise the primary school aged children. Common manners spring to mind!

Schools have been very tardy in the past for not informing people/organisations
. Two incidents come to mind when one school was booked to visit the Heritage Centre in Accrington with their pupils. No one bothered to ring the Heritgage Centre to let them know they weren't coming. The Centre had had to ring round to get extra volunteers in to help supervise the primary school aged children. Common manners spring to mind!Owd Akela

But bosses at the school, which has changed its uniform for Year Seven only,

So it no more expense for parents than it would have been anyway starting high school,

Why should one shop supplie,?
who is usual supplie?

[quote][p][bold]moxhie[/bold] wrote:
Why does Accrington Academy have to change uniforms , causing more expense for parents ?
They never used to change uniforms at the drop of a hat .[/p][/quote]But bosses at the school, which has changed its uniform for Year Seven only,
So it no more expense for parents than it would have been anyway starting high school,
Why should one shop supplie,?
who is usual supplie?site supervisor

School uniforms are all a scam. They make you go and buy them from the "nominated" retailer, who in turn has you by the nuts and can charge you whatever he wants, knowing full well that you have to buy from him.

School uniforms are all a scam. They make you go and buy them from the "nominated" retailer, who in turn has you by the nuts and can charge you whatever he wants, knowing full well that you have to buy from him.mrcool

“We order all our stock in advance from the Middle East, which is how we can afford to sell it at a good price.

-its a shame everyone outsources to foreign countries these days......

£7,000 surely thats retail not wholesale?
“We order all our stock in advance from the Middle East, which is how we can afford to sell it at a good price.
-its a shame everyone outsources to foreign countries these days......Mr Banford

"We are proud that, compared to other local schools, our uniforms are well priced and of high quality. We have never had any agreement with Abbey Street to supply our uniform but have not stopped them from doing so."

So we can establish one thing, the school did this as a direct attack on Mr Vij. They are clearly not happy that the middle east imports can beat the price of the 'nominated shop'.

Surely the simple thing would be to give parents an option, send a news letter stating that the 'nominated shop' sells 100% English or whatever it does (I'm not sure) and then let the parents decide what is best for them.

It does make you wonder how legit a 1 shop deal with uniforms is, and who wins in that situation, because I bet it isn't the parents!

"We are proud that, compared to other local schools, our uniforms are well priced and of high quality. We have never had any agreement with Abbey Street to supply our uniform but have not stopped them from doing so."
So we can establish one thing, the school did this as a direct attack on Mr Vij. They are clearly not happy that the middle east imports can beat the price of the 'nominated shop'.
Surely the simple thing would be to give parents an option, send a news letter stating that the 'nominated shop' sells 100% English or whatever it does (I'm not sure) and then let the parents decide what is best for them.
It does make you wonder how legit a 1 shop deal with uniforms is, and who wins in that situation, because I bet it isn't the parents!HelmshoreMan2010

Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.

When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?

Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.
When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?icannotrace

i'm curious why don't the schools sell their own uniforms anyway?
it would provide a little extra income for them and stop unauthorised sellers. set up an online shop or from the office.
job done!

i'm curious why don't the schools sell their own uniforms anyway?
it would provide a little extra income for them and stop unauthorised sellers. set up an online shop or from the office.
job done!Mr Banford

Owd Akela wrote:
Schools have been very tardy in the past for not informing people/organisations

. Two incidents come to mind when one school was booked to visit the Heritage Centre in Accrington with their pupils. No one bothered to ring the Heritgage Centre to let them know they weren't coming. The Centre had had to ring round to get extra volunteers in to help supervise the primary school aged children. Common manners spring to mind!

You have to compare apples with apples. Booking into a Heritage Centre and not letting them know they weren't coming agreed is bad manners. Informing a uniform supplier who is not preferred supplier that they are changing uniforms is different altogether as well you know.

[quote][p][bold]Owd Akela[/bold] wrote:
Schools have been very tardy in the past for not informing people/organisations
. Two incidents come to mind when one school was booked to visit the Heritage Centre in Accrington with their pupils. No one bothered to ring the Heritgage Centre to let them know they weren't coming. The Centre had had to ring round to get extra volunteers in to help supervise the primary school aged children. Common manners spring to mind![/p][/quote]You have to compare apples with apples. Booking into a Heritage Centre and not letting them know they weren't coming agreed is bad manners. Informing a uniform supplier who is not preferred supplier that they are changing uniforms is different altogether as well you know.icannotrace

Mr Banford wrote:
i'm curious why don't the schools sell their own uniforms anyway?
it would provide a little extra income for them and stop unauthorised sellers. set up an online shop or from the office.
job done!

Agreed they could set up a school shop but they could also stop unauthorised sellers by prosecuting them assuming they have the rights to the logo of course. I suspect they turn a blind eye here as he is providing a service offering cheaper uniforms of dubious quality but again they have no obligation to him.

[quote][p][bold]Mr Banford[/bold] wrote:
i'm curious why don't the schools sell their own uniforms anyway?
it would provide a little extra income for them and stop unauthorised sellers. set up an online shop or from the office.
job done![/p][/quote]Agreed they could set up a school shop but they could also stop unauthorised sellers by prosecuting them assuming they have the rights to the logo of course. I suspect they turn a blind eye here as he is providing a service offering cheaper uniforms of dubious quality but again they have no obligation to him.icannotrace

icannotrace wrote:
Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.

When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?

Where do you think the original is made? Not England, majority of high street retailers cut cost and order from abroad, they all doing it.

[quote][p][bold]icannotrace[/bold] wrote:
Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.
When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?[/p][/quote]Where do you think the original is made? Not England, majority of high street retailers cut cost and order from abroad, they all doing it.ikap22

johnley wrote:
do i smell abit of compo seeking going on, better still. just unstich the logo, and sew the new one on. walla

Are you dense? Who is he going to cliam compo from? Think You are dense!

[quote][p][bold]johnley[/bold] wrote:
do i smell abit of compo seeking going on, better still. just unstich the logo, and sew the new one on. walla[/p][/quote]Are you dense? Who is he going to cliam compo from? Think You are dense!ikap22

East_lancs_lad wrote:
Why should they have to tell him anyway.......this guy has for many years had the monopoly on local school uniforms

Jealous!

Maybe they are jealous but they aint lost 7k hahahahahahahahahaha

[quote][p][bold]ikap22[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]East_lancs_lad[/bold] wrote:
Why should they have to tell him anyway.......this guy has for many years had the monopoly on local school uniforms[/p][/quote]Jealous![/p][/quote]Maybe they are jealous but they aint lost 7k hahahahahahahahahahadoggydog

You can buy any uniform from the Cheetham Hill area, so no where near the middle east of Manchester, and most of them are open to the public anyway.

But you have to sew the badge of the school on, oops !!!

You can buy any uniform from the Cheetham Hill area, so no where near the middle east of Manchester, and most of them are open to the public anyway.
But you have to sew the badge of the school on, oops !!!will12

Monsters mum wrote:
Should buy British!!! middle east and folk like this have killed uk textile industry!

Got to agree with you, what happened to the good old Trutex we wore at school. Not this cheap stuff from the Middle East that wears out very quickly. No hand downs these days.

[quote][p][bold]Monsters mum[/bold] wrote:
Should buy British!!! middle east and folk like this have killed uk textile industry![/p][/quote]Got to agree with you, what happened to the good old Trutex we wore at school. Not this cheap stuff from the Middle East that wears out very quickly. No hand downs these days.gazzandste

I just bought my childs accrington academy sweatshirts with new logo and its same quality as what abbey street what selling with previous logo.
Trutex is brand and its made in Bangladesh as says on label nothing is made in britain

I been to the abbey street and they have petition on their counter and they have great number support from pupils parents, and iv signed it too
The new stockist is in Oswaldtwistle with no changing rooms and i live in accrington so why should i go for my childs uniform all the way to ossy, abbey street deserves to win this case!!

I just bought my childs accrington academy sweatshirts with new logo and its same quality as what abbey street what selling with previous logo.
Trutex is brand and its made in Bangladesh as says on label nothing is made in britain
I been to the abbey street and they have petition on their counter and they have great number support from pupils parents, and iv signed it too
The new stockist is in Oswaldtwistle with no changing rooms and i live in accrington so why should i go for my childs uniform all the way to ossy, abbey street deserves to win this case!!scorpio_bites_back

Well done Accrington Academy for listening to us parents sick of paying over the odds for cheap rubbish was the same 2 years ago when they Brought out the logo for the skirts charged a extra 5er for a logo which you iron on your self that was covered in glue so would stick to your iron or melt the skirt Always miss leading parents to buy the expensive option and telling lies let's hope the other schools start to stand up to these crook's

Well done Accrington Academy for listening to us parents sick of paying over the odds for cheap rubbish was the same 2 years ago when they Brought out the logo for the skirts charged a extra 5er for a logo which you iron on your self that was covered in glue so would stick to your iron or melt the skirt Always miss leading parents to buy the expensive option and telling lies let's hope the other schools start to stand up to these crook'smarkjohnson27

markjohnson27 wrote:
Well done Accrington Academy for listening to us parents sick of paying over the odds for cheap rubbish was the same 2 years ago when they Brought out the logo for the skirts charged a extra 5er for a logo which you iron on your self that was covered in glue so would stick to your iron or melt the skirt Always miss leading parents to buy the expensive option and telling lies let's hope the other schools start to stand up to these crook's

Accrington academy chose the option and went out to find supplier who did skirts with logo, abbey street was selling normal skirts for £7
They have changed the uniform 3 times in 8years
you need to have your facts right before declaring lies.
i have bought my uniforms from abbey street from years and they are way cheaper then school

[quote][p][bold]markjohnson27[/bold] wrote:
Well done Accrington Academy for listening to us parents sick of paying over the odds for cheap rubbish was the same 2 years ago when they Brought out the logo for the skirts charged a extra 5er for a logo which you iron on your self that was covered in glue so would stick to your iron or melt the skirt Always miss leading parents to buy the expensive option and telling lies let's hope the other schools start to stand up to these crook's[/p][/quote]Accrington academy chose the option and went out to find supplier who did skirts with logo, abbey street was selling normal skirts for £7
They have changed the uniform 3 times in 8years
you need to have your facts right before declaring lies.
i have bought my uniforms from abbey street from years and they are way cheaper then schoolscorpio_bites_back

Monsters mum wrote:
Should buy British!!! middle east and folk like this have killed uk textile industry!

Got to agree with you, what happened to the good old Trutex we wore at school. Not this cheap stuff from the Middle East that wears out very quickly. No hand downs these days.

The uniforms used by the approved provider are Trutex. The approved provider is Whittakers schoolwear which is based in Blackburn and now Ossy Mills. The uniform is wait for it....... cheaper than Abbey St!!! So they buy their ccheap bad quality rubbish from the Middle Est and then charge more than good quality uniform costs. Abbey St are sharks, and the worst thing is he knew fin well three months ago the uniform would change but instead of waiting he decided to change the signs to New Academy Uniform, let the new intake of parents buy it and is now refusing to give them their money back because it is not the new uniform so useless to the parents. How he can possibly be out of pocket is beyond me as the uniform for the rest of the school is the same so he can still sell it only year 7 has changed.

[quote][p][bold]gazzandste[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Monsters mum[/bold] wrote:
Should buy British!!! middle east and folk like this have killed uk textile industry![/p][/quote]Got to agree with you, what happened to the good old Trutex we wore at school. Not this cheap stuff from the Middle East that wears out very quickly. No hand downs these days.[/p][/quote]The uniforms used by the approved provider are Trutex. The approved provider is Whittakers schoolwear which is based in Blackburn and now Ossy Mills. The uniform is wait for it....... cheaper than Abbey St!!! So they buy their ccheap bad quality rubbish from the Middle Est and then charge more than good quality uniform costs. Abbey St are sharks, and the worst thing is he knew fin well three months ago the uniform would change but instead of waiting he decided to change the signs to New Academy Uniform, let the new intake of parents buy it and is now refusing to give them their money back because it is not the new uniform so useless to the parents. How he can possibly be out of pocket is beyond me as the uniform for the rest of the school is the same so he can still sell it only year 7 has changed.stupidisasstupiddoes

scorpio_bites_back wrote:
I just bought my childs accrington academy sweatshirts with new logo and its same quality as what abbey street what selling with previous logo.
Trutex is brand and its made in Bangladesh as says on label nothing is made in britain

I been to the abbey street and they have petition on their counter and they have great number support from pupils parents, and iv signed it too
The new stockist is in Oswaldtwistle with no changing rooms and i live in accrington so why should i go for my childs uniform all the way to ossy, abbey street deserves to win this case!!

No changing rooms? Really ? There are two in the whittakers section of the store.

[quote][p][bold]scorpio_bites_back[/bold] wrote:
I just bought my childs accrington academy sweatshirts with new logo and its same quality as what abbey street what selling with previous logo.
Trutex is brand and its made in Bangladesh as says on label nothing is made in britain
I been to the abbey street and they have petition on their counter and they have great number support from pupils parents, and iv signed it too
The new stockist is in Oswaldtwistle with no changing rooms and i live in accrington so why should i go for my childs uniform all the way to ossy, abbey street deserves to win this case!![/p][/quote]No changing rooms? Really ? There are two in the whittakers section of the store.stupidisasstupiddoes

markjohnson27 wrote:
Well done Accrington Academy for listening to us parents sick of paying over the odds for cheap rubbish was the same 2 years ago when they Brought out the logo for the skirts charged a extra 5er for a logo which you iron on your self that was covered in glue so would stick to your iron or melt the skirt Always miss leading parents to buy the expensive option and telling lies let's hope the other schools start to stand up to these crook's

Accrington academy chose the option and went out to find supplier who did skirts with logo, abbey street was selling normal skirts for £7
They have changed the uniform 3 times in 8years
you need to have your facts right before declaring lies.
i have bought my uniforms from abbey street from years and they are way cheaper then school

You think you have bought the new uniform, only Whittakers sells it, all this sticking up for Abbey St, now take the uniform which is no good to a year 7 child as he sold it to you falsly because it is not the new uniform and ask him for your money back see the reaction you get,. You may be less likely to have his back then

[quote][p][bold]scorpio_bites_back[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]markjohnson27[/bold] wrote:
Well done Accrington Academy for listening to us parents sick of paying over the odds for cheap rubbish was the same 2 years ago when they Brought out the logo for the skirts charged a extra 5er for a logo which you iron on your self that was covered in glue so would stick to your iron or melt the skirt Always miss leading parents to buy the expensive option and telling lies let's hope the other schools start to stand up to these crook's[/p][/quote]Accrington academy chose the option and went out to find supplier who did skirts with logo, abbey street was selling normal skirts for £7
They have changed the uniform 3 times in 8years
you need to have your facts right before declaring lies.
i have bought my uniforms from abbey street from years and they are way cheaper then school[/p][/quote]You think you have bought the new uniform, only Whittakers sells it, all this sticking up for Abbey St, now take the uniform which is no good to a year 7 child as he sold it to you falsly because it is not the new uniform and ask him for your money back see the reaction you get,. You may be less likely to have his back thenstupidisasstupiddoes

Monsters mum wrote:
Should buy British!!! middle east and folk like this have killed uk textile industry!

Got to agree with you, what happened to the good old Trutex we wore at school. Not this cheap stuff from the Middle East that wears out very quickly. No hand downs these days.

The uniforms used by the approved provider are Trutex. The approved provider is Whittakers schoolwear which is based in Blackburn and now Ossy Mills. The uniform is wait for it....... cheaper than Abbey St!!! So they buy their ccheap bad quality rubbish from the Middle Est and then charge more than good quality uniform costs. Abbey St are sharks, and the worst thing is he knew fin well three months ago the uniform would change but instead of waiting he decided to change the signs to New Academy Uniform, let the new intake of parents buy it and is now refusing to give them their money back because it is not the new uniform so useless to the parents. How he can possibly be out of pocket is beyond me as the uniform for the rest of the school is the same so he can still sell it only year 7 has changed.

Abbey st was the 1st to sell Trutex in academy, and trutex label says made in Bangladesh
Thats what mr.vij means by middle east, it must be the way trutex operates

[quote][p][bold]stupidisasstupiddoes[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]gazzandste[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Monsters mum[/bold] wrote:
Should buy British!!! middle east and folk like this have killed uk textile industry![/p][/quote]Got to agree with you, what happened to the good old Trutex we wore at school. Not this cheap stuff from the Middle East that wears out very quickly. No hand downs these days.[/p][/quote]The uniforms used by the approved provider are Trutex. The approved provider is Whittakers schoolwear which is based in Blackburn and now Ossy Mills. The uniform is wait for it....... cheaper than Abbey St!!! So they buy their ccheap bad quality rubbish from the Middle Est and then charge more than good quality uniform costs. Abbey St are sharks, and the worst thing is he knew fin well three months ago the uniform would change but instead of waiting he decided to change the signs to New Academy Uniform, let the new intake of parents buy it and is now refusing to give them their money back because it is not the new uniform so useless to the parents. How he can possibly be out of pocket is beyond me as the uniform for the rest of the school is the same so he can still sell it only year 7 has changed.[/p][/quote]Abbey st was the 1st to sell Trutex in academy, and trutex label says made in Bangladesh
Thats what mr.vij means by middle east, it must be the way trutex operatesscorpio_bites_back

icannotrace wrote:
Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.

When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?

there is no such thing as a "preferred supplier" in the school uniform sector. why should there be ? the government has been very critical of schools that select to have preferred suppliers as that is contrary to competition and detrimental to parents. The school should be pro-parent and make uniforms available at the lowest possible cost with the best VFM by enabling as many retailers to sell the uniform. This chap was making uniforms available to parents at decent prices and parents were buying... otherwise he wouldnt be in business as he has been for over a decade.. All this hypocritical nonesense about buying British is just poppy ****. Those same people preaching "buy British" will have 95% of their home items that were made abroad.... first off starting with their mobile phones.

[quote][p][bold]icannotrace[/bold] wrote:
Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.
When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?[/p][/quote]there is no such thing as a "preferred supplier" in the school uniform sector. why should there be ? the government has been very critical of schools that select to have preferred suppliers as that is contrary to competition and detrimental to parents. The school should be pro-parent and make uniforms available at the lowest possible cost with the best VFM by enabling as many retailers to sell the uniform. This chap was making uniforms available to parents at decent prices and parents were buying... otherwise he wouldnt be in business as he has been for over a decade.. All this hypocritical nonesense about buying British is just poppy ****. Those same people preaching "buy British" will have 95% of their home items that were made abroad.... first off starting with their mobile phones.CyberWala

Schools in England will be told to take action to cut the cost of school uniforms to help hard-pressed parents.

Education minister David Laws is to issue new guidance to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, enabling parents to shop around.

He told BBC Breakfast he wanted to stop profit-sharing schemes that existed between some schools and shops.

But the biggest teaching union said schools could merely ignore the "weak" orders, adding legislation was needed.

The Local Government Association has blamed soaring uniform costs on schools rebranding as academies with new logos.

Mr Laws, who will make the announcement at the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow, said the cost of uniforms was often "unnecessarily high" at a time when family budgets were being squeezed.

sept 13
bbc news
Schools in England will be told to take action to cut the cost of school uniforms to help hard-pressed parents.
Education minister David Laws is to issue new guidance to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, enabling parents to shop around.
He told BBC Breakfast he wanted to stop profit-sharing schemes that existed between some schools and shops.
But the biggest teaching union said schools could merely ignore the "weak" orders, adding legislation was needed.
The Local Government Association has blamed soaring uniform costs on schools rebranding as academies with new logos.
Mr Laws, who will make the announcement at the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow, said the cost of uniforms was often "unnecessarily high" at a time when family budgets were being squeezed.CyberWala

The government will crack down on schools that force parents to buy overpriced uniforms.

David Laws, the education minister, said he would provide new guidance to urge schools to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, which stops parents from shopping around to find the best deal.

He announced the policy at the Liberal Democrats' annual conference in Glasgow after research showed that parents were losing out by around £52m a year.

Laws said: "We will send a strong signal to schools that it is vital to secure value for money for parents before changing or introducing new school uniforms. Parents need to be able to shop around to find the best deal. I want to see fewer schools using single suppliers and branded items, which keep costs unnecessarily high."

The announcement follows a concerted Labour party campaign to put the issue of overpriced school uniforms on the government's agenda.

At prime minister's questions two weeks ago, shadow minister Kevin Brennan revealed that the cost of uniforms had spiralled to £285 this year. He was shot down by the prime minister, who insisted it was right that headteachers could enforce "a tough and robust" uniform policy despite the costs.

Education secretary Michael Gove has been a major driver in encouraging schools to force their students to wear uniforms. He was criticised last week after he suggested people attending food banks were responsible for their own predicaments. His comments were made in response to claims that the food banks were now distributing uniforms to the poorest parents.

However, Laws indicated a growing recognition within the Liberal Democrat side of the government of the financial pressure the reintroduction of uniforms in schools was applying on many parents.

Laws's new guidance, to be issued by the Department for Education on Monday, will ask governing bodies to avoid exclusive single-supplier contracts and not insist that pupils wear expensive items of uniform.

It will also encourage schools not to make frequent changes to uniform specifications but to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket.

An Office of Fair Trading investigation in 2012 found three-quarters of schools placed restrictions on where uniforms could be bought. At a typical price difference of £5 between an item bought from a single supplier and a supermarket, the report suggested that parents of school age children lose out on a total of £52m each year.

The Lib Dem conference also heard the party's leader, Nick Clegg, launch a broadside on its Conservative coalition partners. The deputy prime minister attacked proposals in a report by venture capitalist and Tory donor Adrian Beecroft, commissioned by Downing Street last year, which would have allowed employers to sack staff without reason or fear of financial penalty.

Clegg told his members: "The Conservatives have a bizarre idea that to create more jobs you need to increase insecurity. They aren't the party of jobs.

"They are the party of fire-at-will. Remember that? A proposal for bosses to get rid of staff, no questions asked. A policy dreamed up by a Conservative donor without a shred of evidence to back it up. So we said no.

"But let's be in no doubt that without us taking a stand in government it would have happened. Without us, job security would have been a thing of the past, with employers able to get rid of staff on a whim."

Clegg also acknowledged the leftwing political sympathies held by some in his party, but attacked Labour's track record on the economy. He said : "Now I know that some people in our party don't like us being too nasty to Labour, so in the spirit of cross-party co-operation, I'm going to help them make a start.

"If the Eds are watching, here is the first thing they should do to win back the trust of people: apologise.

"Apologise for being too busy schmoozing the bankers to worry about the risks they were taking with the economy. Apologise for not balancing the books in the good times. Apologise for abolishing the 10p tax rate."

Clegg faces a confrontation with the left of his party on Monday over an economic motion backing the government's position. He will speak in favour of the motion during its debate, an almost unprecedented step in the party's history.

Clegg allies say those seeking to amend the motion from the left of the party want to "tear up" the government's fiscal mandate and end the Bank of England's independence by ordering it to do more to create jobs.

A source close to Clegg said he was not worried about losing a vote on the motion, although others in the party believe it is a high-risk tactic.

sept 15
observer
The government will crack down on schools that force parents to buy overpriced uniforms.
David Laws, the education minister, said he would provide new guidance to urge schools to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, which stops parents from shopping around to find the best deal.
He announced the policy at the Liberal Democrats' annual conference in Glasgow after research showed that parents were losing out by around £52m a year.
Laws said: "We will send a strong signal to schools that it is vital to secure value for money for parents before changing or introducing new school uniforms. Parents need to be able to shop around to find the best deal. I want to see fewer schools using single suppliers and branded items, which keep costs unnecessarily high."
The announcement follows a concerted Labour party campaign to put the issue of overpriced school uniforms on the government's agenda.
At prime minister's questions two weeks ago, shadow minister Kevin Brennan revealed that the cost of uniforms had spiralled to £285 this year. He was shot down by the prime minister, who insisted it was right that headteachers could enforce "a tough and robust" uniform policy despite the costs.
Education secretary Michael Gove has been a major driver in encouraging schools to force their students to wear uniforms. He was criticised last week after he suggested people attending food banks were responsible for their own predicaments. His comments were made in response to claims that the food banks were now distributing uniforms to the poorest parents.
However, Laws indicated a growing recognition within the Liberal Democrat side of the government of the financial pressure the reintroduction of uniforms in schools was applying on many parents.
Laws's new guidance, to be issued by the Department for Education on Monday, will ask governing bodies to avoid exclusive single-supplier contracts and not insist that pupils wear expensive items of uniform.
It will also encourage schools not to make frequent changes to uniform specifications but to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket.
An Office of Fair Trading investigation in 2012 found three-quarters of schools placed restrictions on where uniforms could be bought. At a typical price difference of £5 between an item bought from a single supplier and a supermarket, the report suggested that parents of school age children lose out on a total of £52m each year.
The Lib Dem conference also heard the party's leader, Nick Clegg, launch a broadside on its Conservative coalition partners. The deputy prime minister attacked proposals in a report by venture capitalist and Tory donor Adrian Beecroft, commissioned by Downing Street last year, which would have allowed employers to sack staff without reason or fear of financial penalty.
Clegg told his members: "The Conservatives have a bizarre idea that to create more jobs you need to increase insecurity. They aren't the party of jobs.
"They are the party of fire-at-will. Remember that? A proposal for bosses to get rid of staff, no questions asked. A policy dreamed up by a Conservative donor without a shred of evidence to back it up. So we said no.
"But let's be in no doubt that without us taking a stand in government it would have happened. Without us, job security would have been a thing of the past, with employers able to get rid of staff on a whim."
Clegg also acknowledged the leftwing political sympathies held by some in his party, but attacked Labour's track record on the economy. He said : "Now I know that some people in our party don't like us being too nasty to Labour, so in the spirit of cross-party co-operation, I'm going to help them make a start.
"If the Eds are watching, here is the first thing they should do to win back the trust of people: apologise.
"Apologise for being too busy schmoozing the bankers to worry about the risks they were taking with the economy. Apologise for not balancing the books in the good times. Apologise for abolishing the 10p tax rate."
Clegg faces a confrontation with the left of his party on Monday over an economic motion backing the government's position. He will speak in favour of the motion during its debate, an almost unprecedented step in the party's history.
Clegg allies say those seeking to amend the motion from the left of the party want to "tear up" the government's fiscal mandate and end the Bank of England's independence by ordering it to do more to create jobs.
A source close to Clegg said he was not worried about losing a vote on the motion, although others in the party believe it is a high-risk tactic.CyberWala

icannotrace wrote:
Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.

When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?

Yep, but it`s called competition, that is how parents save money by forcing businesses to compete. There are a few schools around that have nominated suppliers who can charge what they want, businesses like this that are able to challenge profiteering should be supported and applauded. pound to a penny the feedback the school got was from the "Nominated supplier" .

[quote][p][bold]icannotrace[/bold] wrote:
Bottom line is he is not the preferred supplier just someone who thought he could make a few quid getting cheaper replica uniforms done elsewhere and it sounds like he's been doing good business. The school have no obligation to inform him of the change.
When a football club changes it's shirt design does it consult with all the back street sweat shops in Bangladesh, Bangkok and Beijing producing replicas?[/p][/quote]Yep, but it`s called competition, that is how parents save money by forcing businesses to compete. There are a few schools around that have nominated suppliers who can charge what they want, businesses like this that are able to challenge profiteering should be supported and applauded. pound to a penny the feedback the school got was from the "Nominated supplier" .rhodie110961